@article {807, title = {Mutation of CFAP57, a protein required for the asymmetric targeting of a subset of inner dynein arms in Chlamydomonas, causes primary ciliary dyskinesia.}, journal = {PLoS Genet}, volume = {16}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 08}, pages = {e1008691}, abstract = {

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is characterized by chronic airway disease, reduced fertility, and randomization of the left/right body axis. It is caused by defects of motile cilia and sperm flagella. We screened a cohort of affected individuals that lack an obvious axonemal defect for pathogenic variants using whole exome capture, next generation sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis assuming an autosomal recessive trait. We identified one subject with an apparently homozygous nonsense variant [(c.1762C>T), p.(Arg588*)] in the uncharacterized CFAP57 gene. Interestingly, the variant results in the skipping of exon 11 (58 amino acids), which may be due to disruption of an exonic splicing enhancer. In normal human nasal epithelial cells, CFAP57 localizes throughout the ciliary axoneme. Nasal cells from the PCD patient express a shorter, mutant version of CFAP57 and the protein is not incorporated into the axoneme. The missing 58 amino acids include portions of WD repeats that may be important for loading onto the intraflagellar transport (IFT) complexes for transport or docking onto the axoneme. A reduced beat frequency and an alteration in ciliary waveform was observed. Knockdown of CFAP57 in human tracheobronchial epithelial cells (hTECs) recapitulates these findings. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CFAP57 is highly conserved in organisms that assemble motile cilia. CFAP57 is allelic with the BOP2/IDA8/FAP57 gene identified previously in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Two independent, insertional fap57 Chlamydomonas mutant strains show reduced swimming velocity and altered waveforms. Tandem mass tag (TMT) mass spectroscopy shows that FAP57 is missing, and the "g" inner dyneins (DHC7 and DHC3) and the "d" inner dynein (DHC2) are reduced, but the FAP57 paralog FBB7 is increased. Together, our data identify a homozygous variant in CFAP57 that causes PCD that is likely due to a defect in the inner dynein arm assembly process.

}, keywords = {3T3 Cells, Adult, Animals, Axoneme, Cells, Cultured, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Cilia, Ciliary Motility Disorders, Codon, Nonsense, Conserved Sequence, Dyneins, Humans, Male, Mice, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Plant Proteins, Proteins, Respiratory Mucosa}, issn = {1553-7404}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1008691}, author = {Bustamante-Marin, Ximena M and Horani, Amjad and Stoyanova, Mihaela and Charng, Wu-Lin and Bottier, Mathieu and Sears, Patrick R and Yin, Wei-Ning and Daniels, Leigh Anne and Bowen, Hailey and Conrad, Donald F and Knowles, Michael R and Ostrowski, Lawrence E and Zariwala, Maimoona A and Dutcher, Susan K} } @article {575, title = {De Novo SOX4 Variants Cause a Neurodevelopmental Disease Associated with Mild Dysmorphism.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {104}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 02 07}, pages = {246-259}, abstract = {

SOX4, together with SOX11 and SOX12, forms group C of SRY-related (SOX) transcription factors. They play key roles, often in redundancy, in multiple developmental pathways, including neurogenesis and skeletogenesis. De novo SOX11 heterozygous mutations have been shown to cause intellectual disability, growth deficiency, and dysmorphic features compatible with mild Coffin-Siris syndrome. Using trio-based exome sequencing, we here identify de novo SOX4 heterozygous missense variants in four children who share developmental delay, intellectual disability, and mild facial and digital morphological abnormalities. SOX4 is highly expressed in areas of active neurogenesis in human fetuses, and sox4 knockdown in Xenopus embryos diminishes brain and whole-body size. The SOX4 variants cluster in the highly conserved, SOX family-specific HMG domain, but each alters a different residue. In silico tools predict that each variant affects a distinct structural feature of this DNA-binding domain, and functional assays demonstrate that these SOX4 proteins carrying these variants are unable to bind DNA in~vitro and transactivate SOX reporter genes in cultured cells. These variants are not found in the gnomAD database of individuals with presumably normal development, but 12 other SOX4 HMG-domain missense variants~are recorded and all demonstrate partial to full activity in the reporter assay. Taken together, these findings point to specific SOX4 HMG-domain missense variants as the cause of a characteristic human neurodevelopmental disorder associated with mild facial and digital dysmorphism.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Child, Child, Preschool, Coffin-Lowry Syndrome, Cohort Studies, Conserved Sequence, DNA, Female, Heterozygote, HMG-Box Domains, Humans, Male, Mutation, Missense, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, SOXC Transcription Factors, Transcriptional Activation, Xenopus}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.12.014}, author = {Zawerton, Ash and Yao, Baojin and Yeager, J Paige and Pippucci, Tommaso and Haseeb, Abdul and Smith, Joshua D and Wischmann, Lisa and K{\"u}hl, Susanne J and Dean, John C S and Pilz, Daniela T and Holder, Susan E and McNeill, Alisdair and Graziano, Claudio and Lefebvre, V{\'e}ronique} } @article {545, title = {A homozygous missense variant in VWA2, encoding an interactor of the Fraser-complex, in a patient with vesicoureteral reflux.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {13}, year = {2018}, month = {2018}, pages = {e0191224}, abstract = {

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the most common cause (40-50\%) of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. About 40 monogenic causes of CAKUT have so far been discovered. To date less than 20\% of CAKUT cases can be explained by mutations in these 40 genes. To identify additional monogenic causes of CAKUT, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and homozygosity mapping (HM) in a patient with CAKUT from Indian origin and consanguineous descent. We identified a homozygous missense mutation (c.1336C>T, p.Arg446Cys) in the gene Von Willebrand factor A domain containing 2 (VWA2). With immunohistochemistry studies on kidneys of newborn (P1) mice, we show that Vwa2 and Fraser extracellular matrix complex subunit 1 (Fras1) co-localize in the nephrogenic zone of the renal cortex. We identified a pronounced expression of Vwa2 in the basement membrane of the ureteric bud (UB) and derivatives of the metanephric mesenchyme (MM). By applying in vitro assays, we demonstrate that the Arg446Cys mutation decreases translocation of monomeric VWA2 protein and increases translocation of aggregated VWA2 protein into the extracellular space. This is potentially due to the additional, unpaired cysteine residue in the mutated protein that is used for intermolecular disulfide bond formation. VWA2 is a known, direct interactor of FRAS1 of the Fraser-Complex (FC). FC-encoding genes and interacting proteins have previously been implicated in the pathogenesis of syndromic and/or isolated CAKUT phenotypes in humans. VWA2 therefore constitutes a very strong candidate in the search for novel CAKUT-causing genes. Our results from in vitro experiments indicate a dose-dependent neomorphic effect of the Arg446Cys homozygous mutation in VWA2.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Amino Acid Substitution, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Biomarkers, Tumor, Child, Consanguinity, Conserved Sequence, Exons, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Fraser Syndrome, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Homozygote, Humans, Male, Mice, Models, Animal, Models, Molecular, Mutation, Missense, Pedigree, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Urogenital Abnormalities, Urogenital System, Vesico-Ureteral Reflux}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0191224}, author = {van der Ven, Amelie T and Kobbe, Birgit and Kohl, Stefan and Shril, Shirlee and Pogoda, Hans-Martin and Imhof, Thomas and Ityel, Hadas and Vivante, Asaf and Chen, Jing and Hwang, Daw-Yang and Connaughton, Dervla M and Mann, Nina and Widmeier, Eugen and Taglienti, Mary and Schmidt, Johanna Magdalena and Nakayama, Makiko and Senguttuvan, Prabha and Kumar, Selvin and Tasic, Velibor and Kehinde, Elijah O and Mane, Shrikant M and Lifton, Richard P and Soliman, Neveen and Lu, Weining and Bauer, Stuart B and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Wagener, Raimund and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} } @article {629, title = {A novel pathogenic variant in a family with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia and benign familial infantile seizures.}, journal = {Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud}, volume = {4}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 02}, abstract = {

Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of dyskinetic movements without alteration of consciousness that are often triggered by the initiation of voluntary movements. Whole-exome sequencing has revealed a cluster of pathogenic variants in (proline-rich transmembrane protein), a gene with a function in synaptic regulation that remains poorly understood. Here, we report the discovery of a novel pathogenic variant inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern in a family with PKD and benign familial infantile seizures (BFIS). After targeted Sanger sequencing did not identify the presence of previously described pathogenic variants, we carried out whole-exome sequencing in the proband and her affected paternal grandfather. This led to the discovery of a novel variant, NM_001256442:exon3:c.C959T/NP_660282.2:p.A320V, altering an evolutionarily conserved alanine at the amino acid position 320 located in the M2 transmembrane region. Sanger sequencing further confirmed the presence of this variant in four affected family members (paternal grandfather, father, brother, and proband) and its absence in two unaffected ones (paternal grandmother and mother). This newly found variant further reinforces the importance of in PKD, BFIS, and possibly other movement disorders. Future functional studies using animal models and human pluripotent stem cell models will provide new insights into the role of and the significance of this variant in regulating neural development and/or function.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Base Sequence, Child, Chromosome Segregation, Conserved Sequence, Dystonia, Epilepsy, Benign Neonatal, Evolution, Molecular, Family, Female, Humans, Infant, Inheritance Patterns, Male, Membrane Proteins, Mutation, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Pedigree}, issn = {2373-2873}, doi = {10.1101/mcs.a002287}, author = {Lu, Jacqueline G and Bishop, Juliet and Cheyette, Sarah and Zhulin, Igor B and Guo, Su and Sobreira, Nara and Brenner, Steven E} } @article {68, title = {Identifying Allosteric Hotspots with Dynamics: Application to Inter- and Intra-species Conservation.}, journal = {Structure}, volume = {24}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 05 03}, pages = {826-837}, abstract = {

The rapidly growing volume of data being produced by next-generation sequencing initiatives is enabling more in-depth analyses of conservation than previously possible. Deep sequencing is uncovering disease loci and regions under selective constraint, despite the fact that intuitive biophysical reasons for such constraint are sometimes absent. Allostery may often provide the missing explanatory link. We use models of protein conformational change to identify allosteric residues by finding essential surface pockets and information-flow bottlenecks, and we develop a software tool that enables users to perform this analysis on their own proteins of interest. Though fundamentally 3D-structural in nature, our analysis is computationally fast, thereby allowing us to run it across the PDB and to evaluate general properties of predicted allosteric residues. We find that these tend to be conserved over diverse evolutionary time scales. Finally, we highlight examples of allosteric residues that help explain poorly understood disease-associated variants.

}, keywords = {Allosteric Site, Animals, Conserved Sequence, Humans, Proteome, Sequence Analysis, Protein, Software}, issn = {1878-4186}, doi = {10.1016/j.str.2016.03.008}, author = {Clarke, Declan and Sethi, Anurag and Li, Shantao and Kumar, Sushant and Chang, Richard W F and Chen, Jieming and Gerstein, Mark} } @article {282, title = {ADCK4 mutations promote steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome through CoQ10 biosynthesis disruption.}, journal = {J Clin Invest}, volume = {123}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Dec}, pages = {5179-89}, abstract = {

Identification of single-gene causes of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) has furthered the understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. Here, using a combination of homozygosity mapping and whole human exome resequencing, we identified mutations in the aarF domain containing kinase 4 (ADCK4) gene in 15 individuals with SRNS from 8 unrelated families. ADCK4 was highly similar to ADCK3, which has been shown to participate in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) biosynthesis. Mutations in ADCK4 resulted in reduced CoQ10 levels and reduced mitochondrial respiratory enzyme activity in cells isolated from individuals with SRNS and transformed lymphoblasts. Knockdown of adck4 in zebrafish and Drosophila recapitulated nephrotic syndrome-associated phenotypes. Furthermore, ADCK4 was expressed in glomerular podocytes and partially localized to podocyte mitochondria and foot processes in rat kidneys and cultured human podocytes. In human podocytes, ADCK4 interacted with members of the CoQ10 biosynthesis pathway, including COQ6, which has been linked with SRNS and COQ7. Knockdown of ADCK4 in podocytes resulted in decreased migration, which was reversed by CoQ10 addition. Interestingly, a patient with SRNS with a homozygous ADCK4 frameshift mutation had partial remission following CoQ10 treatment. These data indicate that individuals with SRNS with mutations in ADCK4 or other genes that participate in CoQ10 biosynthesis may be treatable with CoQ10.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adrenal Cortex Hormones, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Child, Consanguinity, Conserved Sequence, Disease Models, Animal, DNA Mutational Analysis, Drosophila Proteins, Drug Resistance, Exome, Fibroblasts, Gene Knockdown Techniques, Humans, Mitochondria, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Nephrotic Syndrome, Podocytes, Protein Kinases, Rats, Sequence Alignment, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Ubiquinone, Young Adult, Zebrafish, Zebrafish Proteins}, issn = {1558-8238}, doi = {10.1172/JCI69000}, author = {Ashraf, Shazia and Gee, Heon Yung and Woerner, Stephanie and Xie, Letian X and Vega-Warner, Virginia and Lovric, Svjetlana and Fang, Humphrey and Song, Xuewen and Cattran, Daniel C and Avila-Casado, Carmen and Paterson, Andrew D and Nitschk{\'e}, Patrick and Bole-Feysot, Christine and Cochat, Pierre and Esteve-Rudd, Julian and Haberberger, Birgit and Allen, Susan J and Zhou, Weibin and Airik, Rannar and Otto, Edgar A and Barua, Moumita and Al-Hamed, Mohamed H and Kari, Jameela A and Evans, Jonathan and Bierzynska, Agnieszka and Saleem, Moin A and Bockenhauer, Detlef and Kleta, Robert and El Desoky, Sherif and Hacihamdioglu, Duygu O and Gok, Faysal and Washburn, Joseph and Wiggins, Roger C and Choi, Murim and Lifton, Richard P and Levy, Shawn and Han, Zhe and Salviati, Leonardo and Prokisch, Holger and Williams, David S and Pollak, Martin and Clarke, Catherine F and Pei, York and Antignac, Corinne and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} }